What if
by lor4eto
Summary: AU. Balinor and Uther are brothers. Uther is the crowned prince of Camelot, married to princess Ygraine, and expecting a baby. Balinor is the younger prince, who fell in love with a witch from the village named Hunith, and eventually chooses her over the kingdom. After Nimueh kills Balinor and Hunith, Uther takes in their 5 year old son and raises him alongside Arthur


**What if**

**Summary: AU. Balinor and Uther are brothers. Uther is the crowned prince of Camelot, married to princess Ygraine, and expecting a baby. Balinor is the younger prince, who fell in love with a witch from the village named Hunith, and eventually chooses her over the kingdom and moves to a village named Ealdor. Six years later, he and his wife are killed by the witch Nimueh, Uther takes their 5 years old son Merlin in and raises him alongside his own son Arthur. **

**Chapter one: Prologue**

Balinor Pendragon was the king's younger son. He loved his brother and Uther and Balinor were very close. Ever since they were kids. they would sneak out of the castle past curfew and go for a walk in the town. During one of those walks, when Balinor was 16, he met a girl. A girl about his age that he hadn't seen before.

"Hey, I am Balinor." greeted the prince.

"I know who you are. My brother is the court's physician. I am Hunith, Gaius's sister. Our parents sent me here to help him." said the black haired girl.

"You know you are past curfew, right."

"Yes, I know that, but so are you. So if you tell anyone, I am going to tell either."

"I am a prince of Camelot, and you are nothing more than a villager."

"Yes, just a villager, but how can you prove to you father that I was past curfew without telling him that you were past curfew yourself?"

Balinor opened his mouth to say something, but he realized that, she was right. But still to keep his dignity he said:

"Okay, this time I won't say anything to my father."

"That's more like it. Well, I'll be seeing you." Said Hunith and headed towards the physician's chambers.

"I'll be seeing you." Said Balinor to his brother, who was next to him and was barely holding his laughter. "Seriously, if I have to meet her every day, I might as well kill myself."

"Ohh, Balinor' s got a crush." Said Uther mockingly.

"Are you serious? I can't stand her."

"Yeah right, that's how all the best relationships start." Said Uther.

"I'm telling you, there is no way, there can be anything between Hunith and me."

"Argue with me all you want, brother, you'll see eventually that I am right."

The next few days were hard on Balinor. Not only was Hunith living in the castle, she was also a big pain in the ass. She followed him around everywhere, to meetings, snuck out from the castle with him and his brother and they were the only ones who knew that she was a witch. At first that bothered him, but later, he found out that he was starting to like her and he figured out that he was actually in love with her. Hunith was the main subject in the conversations with his brother. And then at his brother's coronation, Balinor invited Hunith to a dance.

A few months later Uther got married to princess Ygraine, and shortly afterwards they announced that Ygraine was expecting a baby.

Meanwhile, the romance between Hunith and Balinor blossomed even further. One night, Balinor and Uther were having one of their brotherly talks, when Balinor suddenly blurted out:  
>"I love Hunith. I want to marry her. I actually proposed to her and she accepted."<p>

"Balinor, you know father would never allow it. She is just a villager to him. The only reason, he allows you to hang out with her, is because he thinks this is just a fling. He won't care that you love her."

"I don't care what he thinks. It's not like I am going to be a king. He already married his heir to a princess, why should I marry a princess."

"Technically you are right, but father won't see it that way. We both have to marry for the good of the kingdom."

"That's the thing, Uther, I don't care about the kingdom, or about father. Me and Hunith are eloping tomorrow."

"Balinor….if father finds out , he is going to hunt you down, kill Hunith and possibly lock you up for the rest of your days. You don't want to defy him."

"Brother, I am not scared of him. I am not going to turn my back on love just because he says so."

"Balinor…he is king. And his word is the law. I am sorry, but I don't think he will react well to your disappearance."

"Uther….you have a wife and a child on the way. I want to have what you have. I want to have a family. I love Hunith, and she loves me. I promise, I will write you a letter when we have settled down and we will keep in touch."

"Wait a second…is this goodbye?"

"Yes, brother. I called you here tonight to say goodbye to you. Don't worry about me I am going to be fine, okay."

"Balinor, you can't tell me you are leaving Camelot for good, and expect that I will just accept it and not tell anything.

"You are my brother, please don't tell father anything. "

"And what about father? You know he will never forgive you for that."

"Let me ask you a question, brother. Do you love Ygraine? Are you happy with her?"

"Marriage isn't about love, Balinor. Marriage is a compromise between two parties, father taught us that, remember!"

"Uther, I love Hunith. I can't imagine my life without her. I asked her to marry me, she accepted and since this is impossible in Camelot, we are going to elope."

"But Balinor….father would be furious if you do that. And what am I supposed to do? You are my little brother and my best friend. I can't possibly imagine running a kingdom without you by my side."

"I promise, I will be in touch with you. We will see each other again, okay, brother. I love you, big brother, but I have to follow my heart and it is not here anymore. Goodbye, brother. Send father my best."

"Father will hunt you down, you know that, right?"

"Let him try." Smiled Balinor and hugged his brother.

Afterwards he went out of the castle, that he once considered his home, and hugged his future wife that was waiting for him in front of it

"Are you sure, you want to do this?" asked Hunith.

"We don't have choice." Said Balinor and the two left Camelot forever.

It wasn't a big surprise that the king was furious, when he found out that his younger son had escaped with commoner. He sent search parties for him, with direct orders to kill the girl, but to bring his son unharmed, but the search parties came back empty handed every time. It was like Balinor and Hunith had vanished into thin air.

5 years have passed, the king passed away, Uther had become a king, and the kingdom welcomed a new prince and heir to the throne Arthur. And still there were no news from Balinor. Until one faithful day, when Uther finally received a letter from his brother.

"Dear Uther,

I am sorry for not writing you in the last 5 years, but I couldn't risk the letter falling into father's hands. I recently discovered that father had passed away and that you are the new king of Camelot. I also heard that you have a son, and heir. That's great, brother. I am happy for you and for the kingdom.

Hunith and I are fine. We have settled down in a village called Ealdor in an adjacent kingdom. We became parents to a little boy and we named him Merlin. He takes after his mother in so many ways. He is 4 years old and he can already move things with his mind. We would love if you and Arthur can visit us one day.

I hope that I hear from you soon.

Your brother,

Balinor "

Uther chuckled as he read his brother's letter one more time. Ealdor, huh? That was in Cendred's kingdom and not very far from Camelot. He wondered how on earth had they managed to stay off the radar for so long. And then it hit him. Hunith had magic, maybe she used her magic to cloak them for a while. Oh, and he had a one year old nephew, he had to meet this kid. Balinor did imply that his nephew had magic like his mother, which both excited and worried Uther. He was excited, because, he had seen what Hunith could do with magic – she could move things with her mind, she had even saved their lives on numerous occasions, but also he had seen how much it exhausted her to perform such spells and how she struggled to get control of it sometimes. He couldn't imagine what magic like that could do to a child, who couldn't even speak. He wanted to see his brother, and he wanted Arthur to know his uncle and his cousin, who wasn't that much younger than him.

After careful consideration, he finally decided to take his son and visit his brother for a few weeks. The reunion was perfect. The brothers hugged and talked about the things that they have missed in their lives, and the kids. Uther grew to love his nephew very fast , even though Merlin was only a two years old he had Balinor's temper – he never did listen, always did whatever he wanted to do and used his magic without fear of anything. But he did worship Arthur and followed him around everywhere and would only listen to him. Arthur was 7 years old, so he was little bit annoyed at first when he discovered that he had a younger cousin, who had started following him around everywhere. One day he had had enough, turned around and yelled at the kid.

"You are a baby. Why are you following me around? Don't you have other things to do?'

"Artiee….Artie….mean."

"No, I am not mean, it's just that I am older than you and I need some time away from you."

"Me not like Artie anymore."

"Merlin….I didn't mean it like that."  
>"Artie…mean." said the 4 year old and ran away from him into the dark forest that was in front of them.<p>

"Merlin! " said Arthur and after yelling Merlin's name a few times and not getting a response, he realized that the only thing worse than Merlin not following him around, was Merlin going missing because of him. He went in the house to get his father and his uncle and aunt and to tell them that Merlin had disappeared.

"Merlin's gone!"  
>"What do you mean gone?"asked Balinor rising from his chair immediately.<p>

"He went into the forest. I just wanted him to leave me alone for a while. He was becoming annoying." Said Arthur. "I am sorry."

Uther rose from his chair with worry.

"It's okay, son." said Uther. "Stay here with Hunith, me and Balinor will find him."

"Father…is Merlin going to be okay?"

Uther didn't know what to say. For the first time in his life he had no idea what to say. Merlin was only 4 years old and had ran into the dangerous forest with nothing, but magic, that he couldn't quite control on his side. He just nodded and followed Balinor outside.

Arthur stayed with Hunith in the kitchen sobbing.

"I am sorry, Aunt Hunith." Said Arthur. "I didn't mean it like that. I would never forgive myself if anything was to happen to him."

"Ohh, Arthur, it's okay. I know that, but you have to understand….Merlin is too young to understand what you are telling him, so you have to be careful around him, okay."

"But now, Merlin is in the forest, all alone, and it's all my fault."

"Arthur…you are just a kid too. You can't blame yourself for that."

Twenty minutes later, Balinor and Uther came back carrying an unconscious and feverish Merlin.

"Oh, my god! What happened?" asked Hunith.

"Relax, Hunith, our boy is a champion. We were going to be attacked by some wolves and just as I was about to get him, he used some of his magic to push them away. I guess he used too much of it, though. He collapsed shortly after that." said Balinor, putting his unconscious son in the bed.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Arthur.

"Oh, yes. A few nights of rest and he will be as good as new." said Hunith after checking her son's vitals.

"Can I stay with him?" asked Arthur."

"Sure…" said Hunith, putting a chair next to the sick boy's bed and letting Arthur sit on it.

He saw that Merlin stirred a bit and opened his eyes.

"Artie… Artie mean" said Merlin and coughed.

"Merlin, I am so sorry, okay. I really was mean. From now on, I will be better, okay. Just give me a second chance, okay. Can you do that?"

Merlin looked at him for a bit and shrugged.

"Okay, Artie…I am tired."

"Well, you should be. I hear you had quite the adventure. Well done, pushing those wolves away."

"Wolves…scary. Don't like wolves." murmured Merlin and fell back to sleep.

"I am not going to let anything scare you again, Merlin. I promise." said Arthur and stroked his cousin's hair.

Uther and Balinor watched this scene with pride and it reminded them of their relationship when they were kids.

"You know, you were wrong in your letter, when you said that Merlin took after Hunith. He has Hunith's magic and Hunith's eyes, but he also has your recklessness, your stubbornness and your bravery. He is all you, Balinor."

Three days later, Merlin was fully recovered and he and Arthur became practically inseparable. Merlin listened to everything that Arthur said, and Arthur really enjoyed his cousin's company. It was a sad day for everyone, when Uther announced that it was time for him and Arthur to return back to Camelot.

The brothers had an understanding, that they would see each other every month and would take turns visiting each other.

Merlin was inconsolable. He grabbed Arthur by the leg and refused to let go.

"Merlin…Merlin, please. I have to go."  
>"No, Artie…stay, or let me come with you."<p>

"Hey, Merlin….we will see each other very soon. You will come to visit me in the castle and there are a lot of games that I can teach you there, okay. Just think of how much we will have next month."

"No…please stay!" begged Merlin, tears filling up his blue eyes. "It's no fun without you here."

"Hey, you won't even feel that I am gone, okay. Time will go by, so fast that you won't even feel it. You listen to your parents and be a big boy, okay…" said Arthur and started tickling his cousin, finally releasing himself from his grip. He hugged Merlin and whispered in his ear: "I will miss you too, Merlin." And let him go, got on his horse and followed his father and followed him outside, leaving a still sobbing Merlin behind.

Over the next month, Merlin wouldn't talk to anyone, until they went to Camelot and he got to see and play with his favorite cousin.

Several months passed, the kids became closer than brothers and they relationship somehow mimicked the relationship between Uther and Balinor. They would tease each other, play with each other and they would sometimes fight but not for long. Ygraine grew quite fond of Merlin too. She looked at him as her own son. But one thing was certain – only Arthur could get that kid to do anything, even to go to bed in a reasonable hour.

"Artie… will you be there next month? I turn 5." asked Merlin on his last night in Camelot, while he was getting ready to sleep.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Said Arthur, kissed his forehead and wanted to turn the light off, but Merlin said:

"No….light. Dark is scary. Wolves might come back."

Arthur sighed. Every night, since Merlin had been lost in the woods, several months ago, they were having the same exact conversation. Those wolves had really scared him and even though his parents had assured him, that they wouldn't come back in Ealdor, and Arthur had assured him multiple times that there were no wolves in Camelot, the toddler was still freaked out of his mind about this.

He went to his cousin and hugged him tightly.

"What wolves? For the last time, Merlin, there are no wolves in Camelot and even if there were, they would be too scared to come near you and from what I have heard, I think that they should be more afraid from you."

"But what if they attack me in my sleep?"

"Then they will be afraid of me." said Arthur, and tickled Merlin . "I promise, nothing bad will ever happen to you as long as I am around."

"Okay…Artie.." said Merlin. "Artie…we will be friends forever, right?"

"Friends? Oh, no Merlin! We are brothers." said Arthur.

"Will you stay here tonight? In case the wolves come back."

"You know I will." Said Arthur. He couldn't believe that this toddler would even ask him that, since he spent the nights with him every single night, since his arrival.

The next morning, Merlin, Balinor and Hunith left, and Merlin started counting the days until his 5th birthday. He couldn't wait to see his cousin again. 12 days later, the long awaited day finally came. And with it came Arthur and Uther.

"Artie…I am five…I am a big boy now. You could teach me some big boy games." Said Merlin.

"Sure…like tag. Do you know this game?" asked Arthur.

"No!"

"Well, you chase me, and when you get me, you say "Tag, you are it" and then I chase you."

It had been a long and exhausting day for everyone especially for Merlin, who even though it was obvious that he was tired, insisted that he stayed up late and kept on playing with Arthur. It was when Arthur told him to go to bed immediately, that Merlin finally complied. It was amazing to Uther and Balinor, just how mature Arthur was when he was with Merlin and how he could make him do anything that his own parents couldn't.

It was well past midnight when a loud noise woke the entire household. Arthur immediately went to Merlin, who was shivering in his bed with fear, while the adults went to see what's going on.

"Artie…I am scared." whispered Merlin.  
>"Shhh shhh shh shhh…it's okay, Merlin. Remember…there is nothing to be scared of." said Arthur. He heard voices from the kitchen, but he couldn't leave the poor three year old again.<p>

"You can't do anything to stop me, Hunith! The child will be mine! Emrys is mine!" said a loud female voice from the kitchen.

"Nimueh….you will never have him."  
>"Never say never, Hunith. You know what that child can do. He is the strongest of us all."<p>

"I will never let you have him, Nimueh…." Said Hunith, mumbling something and sent a counter towards the other witch.

"Telekinesis….is that all you got! Let's see how you will react to this?" said Nimueh, mumbled something and killed Balinor. Balinor dropped dead in front of the horrified eyes of his brother.

"Uther…get Merlin and Arthur out of here, now." Said Hunith while she was trying to keep the witch at bay. Uther just kept on kneeling next to his brother's corpse. Nimueh however managed to overpower her and knock her unconscious and snuck inside Merlin's bedroom. She pushed Arthur away from Merlin, using telekinesis and went to the still sobbing 3 year old child.

"Merlin… You, stay away from him!" yelled Arthur feeling powerless against her. Nimueh just ignored him and got closer to Merlin.

"Artie…no!" yelled Merlin. Suddenly, as she was about to touch him, a white light came from Merlin's hand. A light that made the witch scream in pain and disappear within thin air. Arthur ran to his cousin, to see him shivering, sobbing covered in sweat. It was more than a sweat though, Merlin was burning up again, just like this time in the woods.

"Shh shh shh, you are safe, now. You are safe. You did good."

"I'm tired." said Merlin and fell into a feverish sleep.

Once Arthur was sure, that Merlin was asleep he went to the kitchen to see his father, still in shock, kneeling over his dead brother's corpse and his aunt Hunith unconscious.

"Father…is uncle Balinor…."  
>Uther nodded in shock. He snapped out of it eventually and turned towards his son.<p>

"That witch, she killed him. Is Merlin…."

"He is asleep, just like he was after the accident in the woods. Father, he banished the witch…I don't know how, but he did."

"Good, get his and your bags ready, he is coming with us to Camelot." Said Uther and went to Hunith's unconscious form. Thankfully, she was still breathing. She opened her eyes weakly and said:  
>"Uther? Are Merlin and Arthur…."<p>

"They are okay. Merlin saved them. He is a little sick, but he will be fine. Save your strength , Hunith. That little boy is going to need you now, more than ever. Balinor is dead. He can't lose you too."  
>"Uther, I am dying. Nimueh overpowered me and wounded me mortally. Take care of Merlin, okay, and keep him safe. Make sure he learns how to fight and get Gaius to teach him how to use his magic properly."<br>"Hunith, you can't do this to this little boy."

"Momma…." Said a little groggy voice from the door. Apparently Merlin had been awoken again from the voices and Arthur was by his side holding his hand. Seeing his father dead, Merlin ran to his mother in tears:"Momma….."

"Merlin…." Said Hunith weakly and touched her son's burning forehead. "You be a good boy okay, listen to uncle Uther, Ygraine and Arthur."

"But, momma, please! Don't leave me!"

"Hey, you are going to get to play with your cousin, remember? All the time…imagine that. Stay strong, Merlin." Said Hunith and died. Merlin hugged his mother's body and cried. Arthur tried to pull him out of her, but couldn't. He put at comforting arm on Merlin's shoulder, when he felt that Merlin finally gave into the exhaustion brought by the fever and the long day. After that Uther gently picked the sleeping boy up and carried him to his chariot. Merlin slept through the entire through the entire ride to Camelot in Uther's lap and it wasn't long until Arthur fell asleep too. The moment they arrived, Uther gently tried waking Merlin up, unsuccessfully, before taking him to Gaius. Arthur was told to get in his chambers, but he refused to leave Merlin's side. Uther sighed and agreed to let his son stay with his feverish nephew. After that he ordered to someone to go to Ealdor and to get Hunith and Balinor's bodies in order to get them a proper burial in Camelot.

"Gaius , why does Merlin keep getting sick whenever he uses his magic?" asked Arthur.

"Well, you see, wielding magic is like wielding a sword. You get better at controlling it as you get older. My guess is that he doesn't even know that he is using magic, and he uses it only when he is scared. And it overwhelms him." said Gaius. He was devastated to hear about his sister, but he didn't have time to grief, because right now, Merlin was his top priority. "He will be fine. You should get some sleep too, Arthur. You look tired too."

"I am not leaving him. I slept during the ride."

" Well, he is not going to be up for at least 5 more hours. You can get some sleep here, Arthur." Said Gaius after seeing that the boy was reluctant to leave his cousin's side and pointed to a bed adjacent to Merlin's.

Arthur nodded and lied on the bed. Before he fell asleep, he felt the urge to ask something that has been bothering him ever since the attack.

"Gaius, who was that witch, who killed uncle Balinor and aunt Hunith? And what does she want with Merlin? She kept calling him, Emrys."

Gaius stopped what he was doing when he heard the name Emrys.

"She said the name Emrys? Arthur, did she really call Merlin, Emrys?"

"Yes. What's up with that?"

"Was that witch, dark haired and blue eyed."  
>Arthur nodded tiredly.<p>

"Her name is Nimueh. She was a friend of mine and Hunith when we were younger, long before we came here. We were inseparable, until she started using her magic for evil. She burned our village and we ended up here. Arthur, if Merlin is Emrys, that means that he is even stronger than I expected. I fear there will be many warlocks and witches coming after him. Get some sleep, now, Arthur."

"I won't let them get near him." Said Arthur, finally going to sleep.

Gaius left his apprentice, Henri with the kids and went to talk to Uther.

"Uther, we need to talk. The child is not safe…he is Emrys, the most powerful wizard in the world. That witch that he banished, she was evil and more evil witches and wizards will come if we don't do something to keep them away. At least until Merlin is strong enough to defend himself."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"Forbid magic in Camelot… hunt down everyone who practices magic, because we don't know what their intentions might be.'

"I can't do that! Sure, magic killed Balinor, but magic also saved my son and my nephew."

"Uther, if you want to keep this child safe this is the only way. Merlin should be kept away from anyone, who practices magic, until he is ready to use his own magic consciously and without getting ill. And he shouldn't know who he is, right now."

"So, you want me to forbid magic in my own kingdom, but to let my nephew practice it under my own roof! I will look like a hypocrite!"

"No one will know who Merlin is, because you will explicitly forbid him to use magic in public until he learns how to control it."

Uther sighed and eventually nodded.

"You are right, do need to protect him from if it means lying to him about who he really is. His training starts as soon as he has recovered."

"But sire, he is only five years old an he just lost his parents. How about we let him be a kid for a few more years until he is old enough to understand what magic really is and completely destroy his childhood."

"And Arthur?"

"Arthur would die for this kid, before he lets something bad happen to him. I am pretty sure that we can trust that he won't tell Merlin anything that we don't want him to know."

"Gaius, one more thing... the witch...Did Merlin kill her?"

"I seriously doubt that, sire. Even though he is powerful, I doubt that he is strong enough to kill probably severely injured her, and she vanished to recuperate."

"Do you think...she will be back for him?"

"Maybe in a different form. Nimueh is and has always been unpredictable."

Uther nodded and let Gaius go. He couldn't let the witch get near the boy couldn't let get anyone near Merlin. Merlin had to be kept in the castle at least for now. The second Gaius left he ordered to surround the castle with a wall.

When Merlin woke up he thought that everything had been a dream. A bad nightmare. A voice was calling him, a very familiar voice. He definitely wasn't lying on his bed. This bed was definitely more comfortable. He opened his eyes and saw Arthur sitting in a chair next to him and he was lying on a bed that suspiciously looked like the one he had in Camelot. Why was he in Camelot, though.

"Artie...what happened?"

"Merlin...are you okay? You have been asleep for some time."

Five days to be exact. The five longest days in Arthur's life. This time I it had been worse than 's fever had broken just the day before and they had managed to wake Merlin up just for a few minutes to get him something to eat.

"Head Mother and father?"

"They are in heaven, don't you remember?"

"It wasn't a dream?" said Merlin, tears appearing in his eyes. Arthur climbed onto the bed next to Merlin and hugged him.

"It's okay, Merlin...It's okay."

The next weekdays were a nightmare for for Uther, Arthur and any other poor soul, who tried to get Merlin to eat something or to talk to them. Merlin had shut himself off from everyone, including Arthur, which was the thing that worried Uther most. Not that he could blame the kid, but he wasn't about to let him starve himself to death or to become a distant island that nobody could reach.

Finally, Uther decided that he has had enough of this. He barged into Merlin's room with tray and saw the kid staring blankly in the ceiling .

"Merlin, can you hear me?"

Merlin simply looked at his uncle and blinked.

"Listen, I know how you feel. Your father was my brother and my best friend an your mother was a good friend of mine too. I know you are hurting, I am hurting too, but I am also hurt by the fact that you won't talk to me or Arthur. How do you think we would feel if we lost you?"

Merlin looked at his uncle and said:

"I miss them, uncle. They are really gone."

After that, he picked up a spoon and started eating.

The next few nights Merlin was suffering from very vivid nightmares which made Arthur sleep in the same room with him and calm him down. After a few more days Merlin was slowly getting back to his old self, chuckling, playing and teasing with his cousin. When they went out to play outside for the first time in a few months, they saw a giant wall around the castle.

**So this was chapter one.I am looking forward to hearing your**** thoughts. Shall**** I continue?**


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